Hurricane Frances

Hurricane Frances was the second of four Atlantic hurricanes to affect the U.S. state of Florida during the 2004 season. A deadly and destructive tropical cyclone, Frances also struck the Bahamas and other portions of the Southeastern United States. A Cape Verde hurricane, it formed on August 25 from a tropical wave in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Within 18 hours of developing, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Frances, the sixth named storm of the season. By late the next day, Frances attained hurricane status, and it strengthened further to a major hurricane by August 27. On the following day, Frances became a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, attaining maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 km/h). At the time, the hurricane was passing about 135 mi (215 km) north of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The hurricane slowed and weakened dramatically as it moved across the Bahamas, striking several islands. Wind gusts reached 120 mph (193 km/h) on San Salvador Island. Across the archipelago, Frances left about US$125 million in damage, with 6,682 homes damaged to some degree. Two people died in the Bahamas, one related to drowning and the other due to electrocution. Parts of Grand Bahama remained without power by the time Hurricane Jeanne struck the island in late September. The two hurricanes produced more than $550 million in damage and economic losses, equating to about 10% of the country's gross domestic product. On September 27, Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie declared a state of emergency. Ahead of Frances's landfall in Florida, about 2.8 million people were under evacuation orders across 41 counties. It was the state's largest evacuation at the time. On September 5, Frances moved ashore Hutchinson Island in Florida as a Category 2 hurricane. It produced wind gusts of 108 mph (174...